Mizkan, Bringing Flavor to Life

I am very thrilled to announce that I have partnered with Mizkan Americas on an exciting Japanese recipe development project. In the next three months, I will be sharing many Japanese recipes with you using my favorite Mizkan products. You will learn how to make some popular and healthy Japanese dishes using Mizkan Japanese condiments. There is also a raffle in December where you can win a Mizkan gift basket, so please stay tuned for updates on Rasa Malaysia.

When I first started cooking Japanese food at home, the very first Japanese condiment that I purchased was Mizkan. I was attempting California roll for the first time and I picked up a bottle of Mizkan legendary rice vinegar per my Japanese friend’s recommendation. As the #1 brand for vinegar and vinegar-related condiments in Japan, the rice vinegar worked like a wonder and my California roll was an instant success. I soon realized that I could learn to make great Japanese food at home, or duplicate a Japanese meal that I had in my favorite restaurant with the right products, and at a fraction of the cost!

I soon stocked up more Mizkan products in my pantry. In no time, I learned making teriyaki sauce from scratch, whipping up udon, ramen, and soba, and expanded my culinary repertoire to include many popular Japanese dishes. I just loved it that Mizkan’s condiments are so easy-to-use, healthy, and most importantly, delivers authentic flavors.

Mizkan Japanese brand products are traditional and authentic Japanese products with over 205 years of history in Japan. In the United States, the products are distributed by Mizkan Americas and the products offered are very close to the ones Mizkan Japan has in Japan. The formula and label are almost identical. Mizkan Americas supplies many of its Mitsukan brand Japanese condiments to the Asian section of mainstream supermarkets: 99 Ranch, Mitsuwa, H Mart, etc. They can also be found at select Wal-Mart Supercenters, and food stores specializing in Japanese products. The wide distribution and accessibility of the products mean that home cooks can easily purchase Mizkan condiments and attempt to make authentic Japanese food at home anytime you wish.

Other than being the leader in the consumer space, Mizkan is also the preferred brand in the food services industry and widely used in Japanese restaurants. My uncle, who is a huge food connoisseur once told me that the best condiments are the ones used by restaurants. I am a firm believer that chefs and restaurateurs know (and use) only the best!

Here are the Mizkan products that I highly recommend—they are my must-have’s. Mizkan condiments are all about “Bringing Flavor to Life” so you can splash, pour, drizzle, and infuse them into your favorite food and recipes for authentic flavor, aroma, and richness in taste. Now, let’s check them out.

Mizkan Rice Vinegar

Mizkan rice vinegar is natural fermented vinegar made from 100% rice. It’s mild, tangy and not overpowering when used for cooking. I use Mizkan rice vinegar to make sushi rice and to zest up many Japanese and Asian dishes.

Mizkan Sushi Seasoning

Mizkan Sushi Seasoning is grain vinegar seasoned with sweetener and salt. It’s used for sushi rice in Japan and also great for Japanese salad (SUNOMONO) or marinade. This is the all-in-one sushi seasoning that makes sushi making as easy as 123.

Mizkan AJIPON® Ponzu Citrus Seasoned Soy Sauce

Ponzu is basically soy sauce seasoned with citrus juice and vinegar. I was instantly hooked on ponzu the first time I tasted it. I use it as a dipping sauce for sushi, sashimi, dumpling, hot pot, salad, and more. I just love the refreshing and clean taste of ponzu.

Mizkan HONTERI® Mirin Seasoning

Normally Mirin contains about 10% alcohol but Mizkan Mirin is alcohol free, so everyone—regardless of your religion or origin—can use it to make delicious and authentic Japanese dishes at home. I love the mild sweetness it adds to my teriyaki sauce, sukiyaki sauce, etc. The flavor is so great I often use it when I want to add a tint of sweetness to my dishes!

Mizkan (Bonito Flavored) Soup Base

Soy sauce with bonito flavor is another product I newly discovered; I use it so much that it’s slowly replacing my regular soy sauce. My Japanese friends also told me to buy soy sauce with bonito flavor and they are absolutely right. The bonito flavor adds an extra dimension of taste and “umami” to many Japanese and Asian dishes. Other than that, it’s a soup base for Japanese noodles such as udon and soba. All you have to do is dilute the sauce with some water and you will have a serving of your favorite Japanese noodles.

MORE FAMILY-FRIENDLY RECIPES:

How funny ironic, I just posted a grilled ginger chicken yakitori recipe yesterday, and the brand of mirin I used was Mizkan Honteri, I have the picture of the bottle on my blogpost too! Looking forward to seeing your new Japanese recipes =)

I love Japanese food but always confused by the many different condiments sold at the local Japanese stores. This is great because I can learn how to make Japanese recipes and know which brand to choose now! Your recipes always work, and that’s why I always refer to your blog for new ideas!

I’ve seen this product at Asian stores but never know how to use them. Looking forward to your recipes using the Mizkan products. I hope you can do more posts like this so people like me who are not familiar with Asian products can learn how to use them to make Asian food at home.

Faridah – I get a lot of emails from my Muslim readers who can’t consume alcoholic products, and I am so happy that now I can refer them to purchase Mizkan Honteri mirin to make authentic Japanese dishes at home!

Is Mizkan’s Honteri Mirin 100% alcohol free or just non-alcoholic, as there is a difference. Mizkan’s US website states that it is only non-alcoholic. While its Japanese site and other sites that sell Mizkan’s Honteri Mirin list it as having alcohol content of 0.9%. I hope that you maybe able help me with this as it would be fantastic if it was 100% alcohol free.

Susan, you would have probably found it by now but I got mine at Carrefour. I’ve seen it in Jusco, Cold Storage and Jaya Grocer. It’s pretty much widely available. I didn’t know about Mizkan until this post so I’ve been on the lookout. Hope you found some!

Hi, I found your website is very interesting and helpful with lots of useful information. I have some questions: 1. which product of Mizkan do you use for sushi rice and what is the composition ratio (eg. 100 mg rice used 10ml mizkan)? 2. is ponzu soysauce to be used for sushi/sashimi dipping sauce? 3. Do you add any ingredients for udon/soba dipping sauce when using Mizkan (Bonito Flavored) Soup Base? eg. add konbu when boiling Bonito soup base.

Hi there, i saw a number of reply from you regarding Mizkan product is halal, but when i google around i notice it contains alcohol from fermented like Mizkan Mirin and Mizkan distilled vinegar, is it really halal or alcohol free?